# Northern Lights Tracker vs Borealis

The clearest difference is ads: Northern Lights Tracker at none against Borealis's shown. Northern Lights Tracker also leads on device support (4 vs 2) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 26.0). Borealis's advantage is update cadence (every 5 days vs every 3 weeks). On price and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Northern Lights Tracker sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per 7 days and Borealis sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Northern Lights Tracker ships an update every 3 weeks, Borealis every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 20, 2026 and October 16, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Northern Lights Tracker | Borealis |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.6 (187 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/northern-lights-tracker/id6569249780/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **187** | — |
| Positive reviews | 62.0% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | **Every 5 days** |
| Monetization | Freemium | — |
| Size | 50 MB | 42 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 26.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Mehmet Ali Demir](https://appshunter.io/developer/1631537417) | [Viktor Gidleaf](https://appshunter.io/developer/447833940) |

## What reviewers say

### Northern Lights Tracker

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/northern-lights-tracker/id6569249780)

This app provides real-time predictions and forecasts for the aurora borealis using NOAA space weather data. It helps users find the best viewing locations and times, offering smart alerts and interactive maps for an optimal aurora hunting experience.

**Highlights:** Real-time aurora probability, NOAA-powered KP index, Interactive global aurora maps, Best viewing location recommendations, Space weather data monitoring, Smart aurora alerts, Apple Watch integration

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (5)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Weekly | $3.99 | per 7 days |
| week | $3.99 | per 7 days |
| month | $5.99 | per month |
| year | $34.99 | per year |
| Lifetime Premium | $49.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Great for tracking trips
- 👍 Good for Aurora tracking
- 👍 Accurate for location
- 👍 Helps plan trips
- 👍 User-friendly interface

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💸 Not free, useless without payment
- 🐛 App crashes
- 💸 Misleading pricing, charged unexpectedly
- 🐛 Notifications are bogus/inaccurate
- 🐛 Enable Notifications shuts off

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes out of nowhere
- Phone part of app shows 0%
- Enable Notifications continuously shuts itself OFF
- Data seems outdated and freezes
- App crashes in Norway

**Requested features**

- Add widgets
- Correlate probability to times
- Show probability over time (next 24 hours)
- Allow setting threshold for 'good chance' notifications
- Show readings for around the world


### Borealis

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/borealis-aurora-tracker/id6740575480)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Borealis Pro 1 | $0.49 | one-time |
| Borealis Pro 2 | $3.99 | one-time |
| Borealis Pro 3 | $7.99 | one-time |
| Borealis Pro 4 | $11.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Northern Lights Tracker free?

Northern Lights Tracker is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Borealis free?

Borealis is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Do Northern Lights Tracker or Borealis have ads?

Borealis shows ads; Northern Lights Tracker does not.

### Which is updated more often, Northern Lights Tracker or Borealis?

Northern Lights Tracker ships an update every 3 weeks, and Borealis every 5 days. Most recently, Northern Lights Tracker was updated on October 20, 2026 and Borealis on October 16, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*